SEALS 2026 – Looking Forward to Another Week of Conversations, Collaboration, and New Ideas
I am delighted to be returning to Amelia Island for the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS). Each year, SEALS provides a distinctive opportunity to engage with colleagues from across the United States and beyond through discussion groups, workshops, works-in-progress sessions, and informal conversations that frequently lead to new scholarly and institutional collaborations.
This year, I am especially pleased to participate in the conference in several capacities. In addition to serving as a member of the SEALS Global Outreach Committee, I will contribute to several workshops and scholarly sessions throughout the week and will have the privilege of organizing and moderating four interdisciplinary discussion groups. These groups will bring together scholars from a wide range of legal fields to examine pressing questions concerning governance, technology, sustainability, corporate accountability, food systems, climate and energy policy, and legal education.
Discussion Groups I Am Organizing and Moderating
As part of my continuing commitment to fostering interdisciplinary dialogue at SEALS, I am pleased to organize and moderate the following four discussion groups. Each session is designed to encourage sustained conversation rather than a sequence of formal presentations, creating space for participants to exchange ideas, test developing arguments, and identify opportunities for future collaboration.
Wednesday, July 29 | 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Governing Digital Transformation: Regulatory Competition, Institutional Capacity, and the Future of Rights
Wednesday, July 29 | 3:30–6:30 p.m.
Corporate Power and Accountability in Global Value Chains: Human Rights, Sustainability, Labor, and Technology
Friday, July 31 | 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Reimagining Food and Agriculture Governance: Farmers, Animals, Trade, Technology, and Climate Resilience
Saturday, August 1 | 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Preparing Lawyers for the Climate and Energy Transition: Experiential Pedagogy, Professional Skills, and Institutional Innovation
Although each discussion group focuses on a distinct subject, the four sessions are connected by a broader concern with the capacity of legal institutions to respond to technological, environmental, economic, and geopolitical change. Together, they explore the relationships among public and private governance, institutional capacity, accountability, innovation, rights protection, sustainability, and professional education.
Additional SEALS 2026 Activities
I also look forward to contributing to the following workshops and scholarly sessions:
Monday, July 27 | 3:30–6:00 p.m.
Distance Education Workshop – Focus on the Students
Tuesday, July 28 | 3:00–5:30 p.m.
Teaching and Researching in Civil and Comparative Law
Thursday, July 30 | 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Constitutional Law Workshop – Constitution and Assault on Institutions: Universities and Academic Freedom
Friday, July 31 | 1:00–2:45 p.m.
Works-in-Progress Series – Administrative Law
I am deeply grateful to all the scholars who have agreed to participate as organizers, discussants, and contributors. Their expertise, generosity, and willingness to engage in open and interdisciplinary dialogue are what make the SEALS discussion-group format such a valuable forum for exchanging ideas and developing new scholarly collaborations.
Additional information about the four discussion groups—including their descriptions, participants, and possible discussion questions—will be posted tomorrow and will be available here:
[Insert link to the discussion-groups post]
Last year’s conference provided an outstanding forum for exploring contemporary challenges in law, governance, sustainability, technology, and legal education.
I look forward to reconnecting with friends and colleagues, and to continuing and expanding those dialogues with both returning colleagues and new participants another stimulating week of conversations at SEALS 2026.
See you on Amelia Island!
Paolo Davide Farah, Paolo Farah